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Make a vibrant, nutrient-packed 30-minute dinner with healthy, high-protein broccoli pasta sauce and al dente pasta. A crowd-pleasing, dairy-free, meat-free meal!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
Inspired by my Spring-ready green pea pasta, this broccoli pasta sauce is made with simple, inexpensive ingredients, blended until smooth and creamy, and combined with al dente pasta for a surprisingly cozy and comforting yet healthy, vibrant, and nutrient-dense broccoli pasta dish (aka a win-win situation!) for busy weeknights.
This creamy broccoli pasta sauce combines the subtle sweetness of fresh or frozen broccoli (and carrot), silken tofu for a low-fat, high-protein cream alternative (subs in the FAQs!), parmesan-like nutritional yeast, aromatic garlic, bright lemon juice, and an optional pinch of chili flakes. It’s a delicious way to serve greens to picky eaters!
Looking for more ways to enjoy broccoli? Try this vegan broccoli salad, garlic broccoli stir-fry, simple curry roasted broccoli, and creamy vegan broccoli soup.
The Ingredients and Substitutes
Refer to the broccoli pasta recipe card for the full list of ingredients and substitutes.
Broccoli Pasta Sauce Variations
- Vegan cheese: Make a more ‘cheesy’ broccoli pasta sauce with a sharp, melty vegan cheese like vegan cheddar cheese, added in step 8.
- Nutmeg: A pinch for subtle warm depth to the cream of broccoli pasta sauce.
- Lemon zest: A great garnish to brighten the dish.
- Miso paste: Just a spoonful of umami-rich miso helps add complex, sweet, salty, savory depth to the creamy broccoli sauce.
- Roasted garlic: Make a more pronounced broccoli garlic pasta sauce with a mix of sautéed and roasted garlic.
- Other vegetables: Bulk up the nutrients of this creamy broccoli pasta sauce further with spinach, zucchini, cauliflower, or green peas.
- Chunky add-ins: (not blended) Like sun-dried tomatoes, olives, capers, sliced mushrooms, a sprinkle of toasted nuts/seeds or crispy breadcrumbs, etc.
How to Make Pasta with Broccoli Sauce
Step 1: Peel and wedge the onion, halve the garlic cloves, roughly chop the carrot, and break the broccoli into small florets. Then, bring a large pot of water to a boil and add the broccoli florets, blanching them until they turn a vibrant green (about 1 minute). Then, carefully remove them and set aside to cool.
Step 2: Then, add ½ tsp of salt to the saucepan and add the pasta, cooking it according to the package instructions (minus 1-2 minutes for al dente results). Once ready, drain it through a colander, reserving 2 cups of the pasta water.
For easier blending, boil the veg (broccoli AND carrot) until fork-tender.
Step 3: Wipe out the pan, then heat the oil over medium heat. Once hot, sauté the onion and garlic until lightly charred (3-5 minutes). Then, transfer them to a food processor/blender, leaving all excess oil in the pan.
Step 4: Add the tofu, broccoli, carrot, juice from half a lemon, nutritional yeast, salt, pepper flakes, and basil to a blender and blend until smooth and creamy. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Step 5: Reheat the oil already in the saucepan over medium heat and add the broccoli sauce, cooking for 5 minutes, stirring often.
Step 6: Turn off the heat and add the pasta and one cup of reserved pasta water, mixing well. Then, add more, if needed, to your desired consistency. Leave it to sit, lidded, for 5 minutes for the flavors to meld, then serve. Enjoy!
FAQs
Technically, yes, though it won’t be as smooth and silky and has a stronger flavor.
You could try replacing the tofu with canned coconut milk, cashew cream, or a store-bought dairy-free ‘heavy’ cream alternative.
While traditional broccoli cream pasta sauce is made with heavy dairy, this dairy-free version uses silken tofu for a low-fat, high-protein alternative. Plus, tofu is packed with several beneficial vitamins and minerals.
Meanwhile, broccoli provides several vitamins and minerals (like vitamins C, K, and A, potassium, folate, and more), fiber, and antioxidants. The result is a highly nutritious and satisfying pasta sauce loaded with micro-nutrients.
Pro Recipe Tips
- Cook the pasta al dente: This ensures it doesn’t become too mushy after combining it with the sauce.
- Reserve pasta water: The starchy liquid brings the sauce to the correct consistency, and the starches are great for helping it cling to pasta.
- For lower-powered blenders: Boil/steam the broccoli until tender so they are easier to blend into a smooth sauce. The quickest and easiest way is to boil them in with the pasta, scooping it out before draining the pasta.
- Tweak to taste: i.e., more/less salt and pepper, lemon juice, chili flakes, etc. For more flavor, use veg stock instead of salted water for the pasta.
Serving Suggestions
This recipe for pasta with broccoli sauce is already fairly balanced and satisfying. However, bulk up the meal further with:
- Vegetables – Steamed, grilled, or oven charred broccoli, roasted asparagus, carmalized Brussels sprouts, easy roasted cherry tomatoes, etc.
- Bread – Easy no knead bread for mopping, vegan garlic bread, or vegan focaccia
- Veggie salads – Vegan caprese salad, raw carrot salad, green bean salad, etc.
- A leafy green salad – Like garden salad or Vegan Caesar salad
Adjust the thickness of this vegan broccoli pasta sauce to use it as a spread (for sandwiches/wraps) or dip (for veggies, crackers (like these rosemary vegan crackers), and chips), and more.
Storage Instructions
Leave broccoli pasta sauce to cool, and store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. When stored with the pasta, the pasta softens over time and soaks up more sauce.
You may be able to freeze the sauce for up to 3 months, but the texture of tofu can change upon thawing, so it might need re-blending.
Reheat it in a saucepan over medium-low heat or in a microwave. Add a splash of water or plant-based milk to bring it back to the creamy consistency.
Broccoli Pasta Sauce
Equipment
Ingredients
- ½ teaspoon of salt
- 1 pound of fresh broccoli
- 1 pound of pasta of your choice
- ¼ cup of neutral oil
- 1 (12.3-ounce) box of silken tofu
- 1 medium carrot roughly chopped
- 1 lemon
- 6 garlic cloves peeled and halved
- 1 red onion sliced into wedges
- 2 tablespoons of nutritional yeast
- 1 teaspoon of salt
- Crushed red pepper
- ¼ cup of fresh basil
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- In a large pot with a lid, fill a pot with enough water to cook the pasta, add ½ teaspoon of salt to the water, and bring to a boil. Before cooking the pasta, place the whole broccoli heads in the boiling water until they become bright green. Carefully remove and place them in a bowl or on a cutting board to cool.
- While the broccoli cools, add the pasta to the boiling water and cook according to package instructions, but remove the pasta 2 minutes before the recommended time. Reserve 1 cup of pasta water.
- Drain the pasta in a colander and set aside.
- Dry the inside of the pot and over medium heat, heat the oil. Add the onion and garlic. Cook for 5 minutes or until the onions and garlic are lightly charred. Turn off the stove and scoop out the onions and garlic into the cup of a food processor or blender, leaving the oil in the pot for a later step.
- In the cup of the food processor or blender, blend the onion, garlic, tofu, broccoli, carrots, juice of half a lemon, nutritional yeast, salt, crushed red pepper, and basil. Blend for one minute or until creamy. Taste and add salt and pepper to taste.
- Turn on the stove and heat the pot with the oil over medium heat. Add the broccoli sauce and cook for 5 minutes regularly mixing. Turn off the stove and add in the pasta. Mix well and add the pasta water. Place the lid on for 5 minutes for the pasta to absorb the flavor and serve.
Notes
- Cook the pasta al dente: This ensures it doesn’t become too mushy after combining it with the sauce.
- Reserve pasta water: The starchy liquid brings the sauce to the correct consistency, and the starches are great for helping it cling to pasta.
- For lower-powered blenders: Boil/steam the broccoli until tender so they are easier to blend into a smooth sauce. The quickest and easiest way is to boil them in with the pasta, scooping it out before draining the pasta.
Nutrition
Disclaimer: Although plantbasedonabudget.com attempts to provide accurate nutritional information, kindly note that these are only estimates. Nutritional information may be affected based on the product type, the brand that was purchased, and in other unforeseeable ways. Plantbasedonabudget.com will not be held liable for any loss or damage resulting for your reliance on nutritional information. If you need to follow a specific caloric regimen, please consult your doctor first.
So yummy!